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These delicious and great-looking Italian cookies stay fresh for weeks, so they're perfect for holiday gifts BY KATH LEEN WEBER Many years ago, I started giving biscotti as gifts, and it has become a yearly holiday ritual. There are a couple of reasons why W biscotti are such keepers in my repertoire. They're an inventive departure from more Christmasy-Iooking cookies, while still being sparkly, festive , and full of delicious nuggets like hazelnuts, candied ginger, and chocolate chunks. Plus, biscotti are smart little cookies: sturdy enough to travel well, arriving at their destination unbroken and as delicious and fragrant as the day you baked them. If you've ever eaten one of those bland wedges labeled "biscotti" at an espresso shop or a bookstore, let me tell you now that mine are entirely different-the recipes that follow will convince you of that. And if you already love biscotti, these could be the best you've ever tasted. In any case, I've come up with three irresistible versions: chocolate, almond, and a rustic currant-raisin that's low-fat and lovely dunked in tea, coffee, and even red wine-a personal favorite. hat makes my heart sing are things rustic: long-simmering braises, hearth-style bread, and the traditional Italian cookies known as biscotti. Biscotti Rustica. "I like to cut these diagonally into long rusks, but if you want, cut the logs crosswise to make a larger amount of smaller biscotti," says Kathleen Weber. Photos: this page. Scott Phillips; all others, Amy Albert.